HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Allure Hair Salon in Highland: Cute small town salon, sweet stylists & a great haircut!

When I put out a call out for a hair salon in the Hudson Valley that would offer a Hudson Valley Good Stuff blogger girl a haircut, I received lots of suggestions from people on my Fan Page to call their favorite stylists, but Allure Hair Salon in Highland was the only one to contact me directly and offer me a complimentary cut for my rat's nest. I took a drive to the Historic Hamlet of Highland to find out who these nice angel hairstylists were!  

Allure Hair Salon is at 6 Main Street in Highland. (I have to confess it was my first time on Main Street, and I missed the turn twice!)  The salon is cute, and charming, and I felt relaxed as soon as I stepped in. Highland is a quiet place, and though there were a few other ladies getting their hair done, the salon was quiet. I think that is part of the reason why the haircut felt more relaxing than other haircuts I've had where music is blasting, and stylists are yelling across the room to each other. Allure Hair Salon is mellow, or was mellow when I was there.

My hairstylist Kayla gave me a perfect trim. I didn't want heavy bangs, though it is always tempting just to hide those pesky laugh lines. I instead opted for the my standard long wisps. (I didn't have a magazine photo for inspiration, but I liked how Kayla's whisps looked so I asked her to kind of copy her look). I liked the straight-up friendliness here, and no pretention or pushiness that you would find in Manhattan. I'm very happy with my new haircut! Allure Hair Salon has very reasonable rates, and they also offer the off-site up-do, blow-outs, haircuts, for weddings, special events, proms, etc.  Highland is about a 5 minute drive from New Paltz. 

Thanks Allure Hair Salon in Highland. You've got good stuff! Allure Hair Salon, 6 Main Street, Highland, NY 845-691-7973

Where to celebrate Oktoberfest in the Hudson Valley: 4 Fun Beer Bets!

Looking for a place to celebrate Oktoberfest in the Hudson Valley? Ocktoberfest ends this weekend, but  fear not, there are still a few places in the Hudson Valley to celebrate, or to just pretend you are German. Great beer and good company can be found in these hills. Heck, this weekend you may even get frost or snow if you are lucky!

1) Come to First Fridays in Saugerties on October 5th. Besides all the usual festivities going on around town, beautiful Light House store will be serving Dutch Ale House beer and German appetizers. Festivities start at 7pm. (Here's a blog post I wrote about July's First Friday).

2) Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern will be serving up an Ockterbest menu with German inspired food and beer from the Newburgh Brewing Company on October 7th & 8th.

3) There will be plenty of Oktoberfest fun and crafts for sale, and kids entertainment October 6th & 7th at Hunter Mountain, 11 am-6:15 pm, rain or shine. Admission is free. Afterwards stop by the Last Chance restaurant for a cozy dinner and/or beer.

4) Dig in to stick-to-your-bones German cuisine at Gunk Haus in Highland NY. I haven't been here yet, but I have great things about it through word of mouth.

Here is a small disclaimer, I don't drink beer, but I love German food.

Happy Ocktoberfest! 

Apple Picking at DuBois Farm in Highland: Plenty of juicy apples, pumpkins & people!

DuBois Farms in Highland has plenty of juicy apples for picking! We went apple picking yesterday in the middle of a short rain storm. We followed signs that read "DuBois Farm Festival" that led us into the parking lot. The place was packed with tourists  happily lugging around their kid in carts. I could not find an available cart, but found the stand where you can rent one of these stick things to get the apples and a green cloth bags. There is plenty I didn't see though. The rain threw us off so we got tired quickly and went back to the car. Next time I will try a sample from their bakery and explore the grounds a bit more. See their website for more info. 

We left there with two huge bags of red apples. Total cost= $29. Now all I need is a good recipe for apple pie!